Towels : The TyKa Version
by Rian30
Summary: It started with a silly argument... Absence makes the heart grow fonder they say, but will it  make any lasting change in this couple's life? TyKa


This is the same story as my previous one shot fic with Tyson/Hillary as the main pair.

I just changed the pairing to see how it would turn out with Tyson and Kai . I made some small changes to suit Kai's character in the situations.

I am struggling to get in the shoes of these characters . I want to know if I have been able to handle the different characters in the same situation. So please read and let me know what do you think about this shot.

Disclaimer: I still don't own Beyblade.

Especial thanks to Rainy Day for her help in editting this fiction.**

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**The Towels**

"Tyson! " A roar echoed in the apartment as the startled blunette dropped the glass, he was holding.

"Is the sky falling?" He said annoyed at being yelled at like that.

"No. This." Kai dangled a towel before his eyes, one foot tapping the floor impatiently.

"What about this?" Tyson asked in the same irritated tone. He picked up the glass. Surprisingly it had survived the fall. Putting it back on the table, he waited for Kai to answer.

"You used this towel to dry your hands. It was Daichi's."

"It was a fresh towel and we both just washed our hands and dried that on it. It's not that big a deal."

"There are plenty of towels in the cupboard near the basin. Why do you have to use the dirty one? Plus you put it on the laundry basket. How many times I have to tell you to put it inside," Kai said. He couldn't understand why Tyson could not follow such a simple major. Why things have to be chaotic when he was around?

Tyson threw his hands upwards in mock surrender and huffed. "You and your obsession with towels! It wasn't even dirty. I was in a hurry as Daichi was already leaving and I had something to say to him. So I left it on the laundry basket. Why do you need to use so many towels in the first place? One for the face, one for hands, one for … "

"Unlike you I prefer to use clean and fresh towels. I like to keep things neat and tidy; is it too much to ask?"

"I really have no time for this Kai." Tyson resigned the never-ending argument.

Kai raised his eyebrows. " Why don't you just admit that you were at fault?"

"Whatever," Tyson muttered. "Father called. He and Hiro have made some astounding discoveries at the site they are. It can be of major archaeological importance, so they have asked me to join them. They need more help there and Hiro said it would be good for my own research work too."

"Oh." Kai breathed, suddenly deflated. " How long you will be gone?"

Tyson sat down on the chair. "I don't know. Maybe a week or two," he said pouring some water in the glass for himself. "It depends on how long the digging goes on and they need Me."

"That long?" Kai sat down too following his example. So this was that call about, half an hour ago.

He didn't know what to say. They have been together for a little over a year and he had not been by himself, since then, not for more than a day anyway. Off course it was not like he needed any company. He had practically lived alone for years.

"I told Daichi. That's why I had hurried after him," Tyson said as he looked into his beloved eyes. "He'll be around- He'll even come over and stay here if you want. So if you want some company just call him."

Kai scoffed at the idea and glared. "Tyson, I don't need a 'baby' to baby-sit me. I can take care of myself just fine. What were you thinking?"

"I just thought that…"

Kai waved his hand dismissively. "Do me a favour- next time don't try to think. It's not your strong point anyway."

Tyson said nothing.

"When will you be leaving?" Kai asked a little disappointed. He had expected some kind of retort.

"I have to leave now. Next flight is in three hours."

Kai blanched.

"Now!"

Tyson looked at him apologetically. "Yes, father wanted me to join as soon as possible. I am going to get my things ready," the blunette left the kitchen.

"I will be there in a minute," Kai said distractedly. Putting the offensive towel back in the laundry basket he went to their room and helped his boyfriend in packing.

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Kai watched the raindrops beat harshly against the windowpane. It had been a month since Tyson had left. One measly short letter, telling him that he was too busy, was all the elder youth had received. Tyson had called twice- at least Daichi claimed that he had - but both the times Tyson had chosen an odd hour when Kai was not home.

Even his staff at work had started to feel that something was wrong with their boss. One day he sat there completely silent; and then the next day they got load of work, large enough to keep them busy for a month, to be completed in one day. Wiser ones simply kept out of their CEO's way.

Depression was fast catching on the stoic young man, as he wondered why Tyson had not been more in contact with him. Has he been intentionally avoiding Kai? What if the blunette had practically left him and was waiting for him to get the message?

"Oh Tyson!"

He had really been too harsh with Tyson, on the day he had left. Why did he lose his cool over a towel? If Tyson did not want to make a fuss over it, maybe he should have left it at that.

"Yes."

He _was_ obsessed with towels. Tyson did fold them and hang them neatly on the stand, he admitted. But he folded it only in two layers.

"So what?"

The world was not going to end if it wasn't folded in three layers, as he preferred it. So what if the blunette thought that a towel could be used more than once, before adding it to the dirty laundry? At least he didn't ask Kai to use it repeatedly.

Tyson wouldn't leave him for such a small thing as a fight over towels.

Would he?

Kai silently prayed that Tyson was not that angry at his outburst. The blunette in question had forgiven him for far greater mistakes in the past and he had always maintained that he loved him. He would forgive Kai again for one silly obsession.

Wouldn't he?

The lonely young man sighed. The raindrops were now fewer and the clouds were starting to scatter off as he watched them. There was a knock on the door and he got up to check, who was there at this time. It was too early for Daichi to be home, who had been living there for some days.

Kai had lived alone at first. He actually enjoyed being by himself again for a while- no constant chattering or other disturbance, and he could lie on either side of the bed without a care. He stayed in the office late and by the time he reached home he was too tired to be awake any way. But on weekends it suck. He tried work but there was not a lot to do. So he rearranged the whole apartment. Next weekend he went for a really long drive, but eventually he had to come home.

Kai hated to admit it but he did not like to return to an empty apartment. Not anymore. He had become accustomed to Tyson's presence and his not being there was making the place seem like just a walled space. At the beginning of the third week Daichi had asked Kai, if he could crash in his apartment for a couple of weeks. The later had agreed without much fuss.

Kai was surprised that he didn't mind the extra presence in his personal space that much. Daichi's company made the weekends less dreading. Again, if you asked him he would certainly deny that he, The Kai Hiwatari, wanted even for one second, that annoying red head in his living quarters, ever. He was just being generous to the short guy.

Living with Tyson had sure started to affect his better judgment and habits.

He was surprised to see drenched Ray in front of his front door as he opened. " Hi. Since when have cats started to like water?"

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"Weather was clear when I left my home," Ray explained as Kai handed him another towel to dry himself completely.

Kai picked the earlier one and put it in the Laundry basket as usual. On his return Ray passed him the last one with thanks. With a slight nod Kai just threw it back on the holder by the basin absently.

"I was surprised to hear you let Daichi stay with you- How come?" Ray asked Kai following him in the kitchen. Anybody who knew the Hiwatari, knew well that he wouldn't seek anybody's company, no matter how badly he wanted it.

"He's improved a lot," Kai said. "Plus he needed a place and Tyson treats him a like a brother. I couldn't say 'no'."

"Any news when Tyson is returning?" Ray asked as he accepted the hot cup of coffee offered by his host.

"No," Kai said quietly getting a chair himself.

Ray nodded slightly in acknowledgement. "Don't worry," he said after a few sips. "He should be back soon."

"I am not worried. He can handle himself," Kai said dismissively though his eyes held a questioning look.

"He told me when he called last week."

"He called you?" Kai asked but it was more of a statement. Ray was surprised at the tinge of bitterness in his words.

Kai felt even more depressed than before. So Tyson called his other friends but didn't feel the need to call his own boyfriend. He concentrated at his coffee in an attempt to hide his disappointment. But he could still feel Ray's eye at him.

"OK," he said in a quite tone and looked up.

Ray raised an eyebrow. "Didn't he tell you?"

Kai shook his head, looking sullen.

"Don't worry Kai." Ray managed to say. He wondered if he ever saw Kai so distressed even if the later would die first before admitting it.

"He would have told you. May be it slipped his mind. Something might have come up," The neko added.

Kai forced a week smile.

"He loves you. But he is Tyson. Out of sight, out of mind." Ray went on to say. He was relieved that Kai had recovered. "He probably forgot to call because his brother had dug out some 2500 year old cooking pot."

Kai smiled a bit more. Ray studied him. " You have changed." he commented after a while.

"Why do you say that?" Kai asked mildly surprised.

"You let Diachi stay. " Ray smirked. "The Kai, I knew a month ago, would have been plotting murder at the idea. You don't seem even angry with Tyson for not keeping in touch with you. Instead by letting Daichi stay you are being nice to him. Tyson would be surprised."

For some odd reason Kai seemed please to hear it.

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"Do you think I've changed Daichi?" Kai asked the red head boy later that night, at dinner.

Daichi gave him slightly bewildered look. " I don't know- Why do you ask?"

"Ray had come today." Kai informed him. " He said that I'd changed since we'd last met."

Daichi thought for sometime as he chewed on his food. "Maybe; he is observant. Then again, people who see us after a gap sometimes notice the changes quicker. I'm living with you so maybe I've missed some gradual change."

"It's not something bad, is it? Are you all right?" the young teen asked anxiously.

"No. It's not a bad thing," Kai murmured.

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The doorbell rang again later on that night. Kai woke up blinking at the shrill sound, it made. He rushed down stairs to find Daichi had already opened the door. Tyson was pulling his luggage inside.

The blunette gave him a small smile as their eyes met. " HI."

Kai just stood there taking everything in. Blunette didn't look at his best. He barely smiled when he looked at him- not the way one would expect a loving young man to look at his boyfriend, who sees his lover after a month.

"Hey."

Kai blinked. Tyson had snapped his fingers lightly in front of his eyes.

"Looks like I woke you up from a really deep slumber. Go back to bed."

"No," Kai said, "it's fine. I'm just surprised. How have you been?"

"You sure don't want to sleep right now?" Tyson asked again studying his boy friend. He looked weary. "Man I won't be able to sleep yet though I'm dead tired. Jet lag..."

Kai smiled softly. "Yes, I'm really fine." He watched as Tyson slumped on the couch in the living room.

"I really won't mind. You look more tired than me. Go rest." Tyson insisted. "I will make Daichi take care of me. Daichi, get me some coffee and toast." He ordered the redhead in a playful tone and winked at him.

Daichi made a face but went to kitchen laughing. " Only because Kai was nice to me in your absence, so I'm doing it for him," he said before leaving.

Tyson looked amused. "It seems you two got along just fine in my absence. I was worried the poor boy would be dead when I return."

To his surprise Kai didn't scowl as Tyson had expected.

"I'm sorry," he said in a low voice, staring at the wall.

This surprised Tyson even more. "Huh? What for?" He asked puzzled, confusion written all over his face.

Kai was not listening though. "Please never leave me again like that….."

"Kai!"

He looked straight at Tyson.

"I didn't leave you; I had to go because of my work." Tyson said urgently. He reached for his lover. "I don't understand…"

Kai hugged him tightly. "You're not angry with me any more? Are you?"

"No." Tyson was still bewildered. "What made you think I was angry at you?" He tried to comfort the older boy hugging him back.

"You didn't call or write to me for the whole month…I thought…" Kai's voice was hitched.

"I wrote once."

"It was a postcard."

"I know. I'm sorry, but we were traveling through the interiors most of the time. I saw a letterbox in one village and hurriedly posted a few lines before the bus left."

Kai blinked. "You could have e-mailed."

"How? When basic things like post offices were absent do you think they had net connections? Why do you think it's months before we get any call or messages from my father or brother?"

"You could have called more often," he persisted.

"I tried Kai," Tyson sighed, "but it was a war-ridden third-world country- interior areas at that. Networks were either not working or were absent in the first place. Our time zones didn't match either, so I couldn't choose when to call, if there was a booth at times. Plus I had been extremely busy. Most days, I just dropped on the bed, once I returned to the camp."

"So, you weren't angry and you weren't going to leave me?"

Tyson chuckled "No love. Why would I do that?" He said softly petting his lover's back. Finally, Kai was assured that his boyfriend had not been ignoring him on purpose.

The blunette didn't even remember their big fight over towels. He snuggled closer to Kai, a happy smile playing at his lips. Kai smiled back. He was a little ashamed at how he had let his imagination run. At the same time, he was relieved that Tyson had not noticed his slip, showing his fears about their relationship.

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Daichi announced from the kitchen door that the coffee was ready. " I made your favourite sandwiches with it."

Tyson grinned. "Thanks Daichi, You're the best."

"I know. Good, that you finally accepted it. Just don't get used to it. Next time you will have to get your coffee yourself," he said laughing. "Now I'm going back to sleep; I have morning classes. Good night, guys." The red head yawned, retiring to his room.

Tyson detangled himself from Kai with a little smile in apology. "I should go and wash up before my coffee gets cold. Man! I can eat a horse right now." He headed straight to the bathroom.

"You can do that any given time." Kai called out. He could hear Tyson's short but hearty laugh at the comment from the bathroom. He picked his coat thrown at the nearby sofa and hanged it in the closet.

Tyson chuckled some more at his image in the mirror. He was home finally. Warm water felt nice against his skin as he proceeded to wash his face and hands. Keeping the soap back he washed the remaining residue of it from his fingers and picked up the towel from the rack beside the basin.

He had just started to dry his hands when…

"Tyson! " A roar echoed in the apartment startling the blunette of that name.

"Is the sky falling?" He said annoyed at being shouted at like that.

"No. This." Kai snatched the towel from his hands and dangled it before his eyes tapping his foot.

"What about this?" Tyson asked in the same irritated tone.

"You could have at least asked me, if you were too lazy to get a clean towel from the cupboard here."

"It looks clean to me and I picked it from the towel stand."

"It was Ray's- He had used it in the afternoon."

"So? How would I know that? Don't you throw the used towels in the laundry immediately?"

"I… I was distracted," Admitted Kai reluctantly, but that didn't mean he was going to back down just for a trifle like that. "Still… It must have been a little bit wet. You should be careful."

"I'm really in no mood for this Kai. I'm too tired." Tyson groaned resigned.

Kai raised his eyebrows. " Then why don't you just admit that you were at fault?"

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**Authors note:** How did you like it? Are these characters convincing enough? have I been able to capture the characters in this one...If yes how much? 

Is it worth keeping up or I should just keep my earlier one with TyHill pairing?

Please comment.


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